


A not-so-silent Night

by Lakritzwolf



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec is a Lightweight, Christmas Fluff, Clueless Shadowhunters, M/M, the mystery of the mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 19:03:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17188601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lakritzwolf/pseuds/Lakritzwolf





	A not-so-silent Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mellyb6](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mellyb6/gifts).



The Clave doesn’t celebrate Christmas.

The Shadowhunters don’t celebrate Christmas either. Officially. But in a lot of institutes there will be a small tree, and there might even be a bit of eggnog and maybe even a few gifts, exchanged between family members or close friends.

The New York Institute had, under the leadership of the Lightwoods, never celebrated Christmas and never done anything related to the holidays. And Alec, true Lightwood that he is, has never had any interest in mundane traditions and especially not the madness that is Christmas.

But, as he has come to learn, the pre-Christmas madness is only a small part of the whole concept.

Because Magnus loves Christmas. Not because he is in any way a believer. No, he loves Christmas for what it stands for aside from that. Namely, spending time with friends and family, exchanging gifts, sharing good food and good company. Surrounding yourself with the people you care about most. 

Of course, Magnus doesn’t necessarily need Christmas for that, could have that at any time, but the warlock loves the rituals and all that symbolism, and frankly, he tends to shamelessly abuse the Christmas season as an opportunity to decorate his loft as festively as possible.

Fir garlands are draped along every wall. There’s a large, lovingly decorated wreath on every door. At the centre of the loft is a large Christmas tree decorated with baubles in gold and red and frosted glass, tinsel, red garlands, candy canes, and gingerbread men.

One of the lower branches hangs down a little further than the others. Madzie is standing next to it with a box of candy canes, putting yet another on the poor branch that is doing its best not to break.

Having just arrived in what has promised to become a blizzard, Alec stands there in the doorway and stares while the others push past him, leaving a pile of soaked, snow-covered boots behind next to the door.

Clary and Simon don’t have the same problem as Alec. Instead they have these huge, shiny eyes that make them look younger than they are. Simon of course has never officially celebrated Christmas, but with having grown up pretty much as Clary’s adopted brother they both share a lot of fond childhood memories of this season. Jace looks just as out of his depth as Alec, but Izzy just strides past them and takes to the whole shebang like a fish to water.

There’s an indescribably delicious fragrance in the air, of fir resin and cinnamon and vanilla and other spices, of butter cookies and gingerbread and some sort of roast that is being prepared the mundane way in an actual oven.

There’s a fire crackling merrily in the hearth and that is what finally tears Alec out of his stupor.

He takes a few almost cautious steps into the loft. “Magnus?” 

He eventually finds the man in question and does another double take. Magnus is wearing a halo made of tinsel.

“Yes?” Magnus asks after a moment, his smile as bright as his eyes.  
Alec forces himself to look at Magnus’ face instead of the silly tinsel halo. “Since when do we have a fireplace?”  
“Oh.” Magnus chuckles. “I redecorated a bit for the holidays. Like it?”

Alec still feels a little overwhelmed, but he still nods, his eyes once more caught by the merrily burning fire.

Magnus chuckles and pecks a kiss on Alec’s cheek before he simply turns and heads towards the kitchen. Alec shakes his head and follows him, part out of curiosity and part because he’s so bewildered that he doesn’t know what else to do.

Catarina is reigning over the kitchen like an empress. Several pots and pans are on the stove, and there is a huge bird in the oven but Alec can’t tell if it’s a goose or a turkey. Her forehead is shiny with sweat from the heat but she gives Alec a beaming smile.

“Hello!” She points towards a large jug standing on a teapot warmer. “There’s mulled wine. Help yourself!”

Magnus enthusiastically pours some of the concoction into a mug and hands it to Alec who takes it with a critical look. Then he inhales the fragrance and his face lights up.

“That smells really good.”  
“It is good,” Magnus says and pours himself a mug as well. “Enjoy responsibly. Heated wine makes you drunk extra fast.”

Alec takes a tiny sip. It’s still almost too hot to drink, but the blend of heady, sweetened wine and spices emanating from the cup makes him smile. Equipped with his mug Alec is about to leave the kitchen again, but the doorway is blocked by a warlock wearing a tinsel halo. Magnus smiles expectantly up at him.

“Um,” Alec says and takes another sip of his wine.

Magnus looks up at the doorframe, and back Alec again. Alec looks up as well, but can't see anything out of the ordinary apart from a shriveled little twig.

For a second, Magnus looks almost disappointed before he pushes himself off the doorframe. But he is still smiling, so Alec just smiles back at him before he heads back into the living room. A slight frown of puzzlement lingers on his features for another few moments but vanishes with the next sip from his steaming mug.

Jace and Clary are sitting on one of the sofas, cuddling and so entwined with each other their limbs almost look like they’re tied into some sort of knot. Izzy and Simon are sitting next to each other, almost touching but not quite, but they’re engaged in a lively discussion about music. Madzie sits on the carpet next to the tree, happily gnawing on a candy cane. She spots Alec, smiles brightly, and immediately offers him the box. Alec declines with a friendly smile and Madzie drops the box again before shifting her attention back to her treat.

Sipping his wine, Alec looks around. A smile immediately breaks out over his face when a pair of arms suddenly closes around his waist.

“Hey,” Magnus mutters into his shoulder.  
“Hey,” Alec says and nuzzles Magnus’ forehead. “I really like the fireplace.”  
“Yes...” Magnus looks up at him. “I have to admit the thought of you in front of the fire on a bear skin rug is a little distracting, though.”

Alec freezes for a moment, then he swallows heavily and takes another sip from his wine, a little hastily maybe, and maybe also a little too much. He gulps it down and takes a deep breath.

“What is this, exactly?” He asks Magnus, wrenching his eyes away from the empty spot of carpet in front of the fire.  
“Red wine and spices.” Magnus takes a sip of his own. “Cinnamon, cloves, aniseed, coriander, cardamom. Like it?”  
“It’s great.” Alec takes another sip and closes his eyes. “Really good.”  
“Take it slow,” Magnus says again. “You’ll get drunk very easily on that.”  
Alec frowns at him and takes another sip.  
“I don’t want you to pass out before we even had dinner.” Magnus gives him an evil little grin. “Mr. Lightweight.”  
“Hey.” Alec pokes him in the chest. “You could have warned me about that cocktail instead of laughing at my misery.”  
“I’m sorry,” Magnus says with a grin, not sounding sorry at all.

Before Alec can complain some more, another group of people arrives. Luke, Maia, and Raphael enter the loft, promptly looking slightly overwhelmed as well by the decorations but smiling like children too. Maryse is hanging on to Luke’s arm and looks as stupefied as Alec had felt upon entering.

“Ah!” Magnus hurries over to greet them. “My fellow Downworlders. Welcome!” He takes Maryse’s hand and gallantly breathes a kiss onto the back of it. “Maryse. You’re looking more beautiful than ever.”

Maryse almost blushes, and offers Magnus a bottle of wine. He takes it with a smile and a bow.

A little later they’re all settled around a huge table that Magnus has prepared with a lot of dedication. There’s a goose and roasted veal, and potatoes and vegetables and gravy, and there seems to be enough food to feed the entire Institute. And with Magnus being the perfect host that he is, the vampires have large, beautiful cut-crystal goblets, with three decanters offering a choice of flavours for them as well.

Dinner passes with a lot of laughter, a lot of wine and way too much food.

After dessert there’s coffee, and Madzie only makes it for another half hour before the excitement of the day has her falling asleep on the sofa. Magnus covers her with a fluffy blanket and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear so it won’t tickle her awake.

Alec gives him a love-sick smile when he comes back, and takes another sip of his wine as Magnus sits down again next to him. Alec’s head flops against his shoulder; there is a faint shimmer of red on Alec’s cheekbones, and his eyes are soft and slightly unfocussed. Magnus chuckles and drops a kiss onto Alec’s temple.

Alec hums and nuzzles Magnus’ neck. “You smell nice.”  
Magnus chuckles again, a little louder. “You bought me that cologne as a present.”  
“Hmm.” Alec sighs. “I have good taste.”

Everyone else is smiling or smirking as well. Alec is an adorable drunk.

Eventually coffee is replaced by more potent beverages, but Alec sticks to the mulled wine. It seems to have been love at first sight – or first sip, as it were – because Alec looks as if he might be making love to his drink and Magnus can’t take his eyes off of him.   
But no one is exactly sober anymore at this point, even the vampires, because Magnus somehow got his hands on a small bottle of plasma.

Shortly after the bottle appeared Raphael started actually smiling for the first time since saying hello to Madzie, and now Simon is telling jokes that are so bad they are almost funny again. Almost. 

“Hey, what’s the best Christmas present ever, huh?”  
“Simon...” Clary rolls her eyes.  
“It’s the last one, Clary. Promise.”  
Clary gives him a look that speaks a thousand words. “So what is it, then?”  
“It’s a broken drum!” Simon grins broadly at everyone around him. “You can’t beat it!”

Everyone groans and face-palms, apart from Alec who snorts and erupts into a fit of high-pitched giggles. Shaking his head, Magnus gives him a fond, if slightly exasperated smile. It takes Alec a while to calm down, because every time he looks over at Simon he cracks up again. Simon isn’t sure if he should be delighted or offended, but in the end he decides to keep on smiling because a giggling Alec is infinitely more entertaining than a scowling one.

Later, after Madzie has been tucked into bed in one of the spare rooms, the table is replaced by a bar. Alec still has no interest in any other drink; he has been on a rather frequent pilgrimage to the kitchen to equip himself with more of the mulled wine during the whole evening. Ever the caring warlock boyfriend, Magnus has long-since watered it down somewhat so as to stealthily help him avoid a truly horrific hangover tomorrow. Alec would most certainly regret his recent life choices tomorrow morning as it was, because other than using physical force there is no stopping him. And Magnus isn’t quite ready to go there yet. Because Alec truly is adorable when drunk.

Eventually Alec emerges from the kitchen complaining that there’s nothing left, but Magnus refuses to make more, telling Alec that he has had enough and should be a little careful with further alcohol intake. He only needs to remind Alec of _that_ cocktail, and Alec stops pouting again.

However, he does make a point of savouring the last bit of the mulled wine in his mug until there’s not a drop left. By now, his cheeks are glowing and there’s a perpetual goofy little smile on his face. Also, he’s pretty much glued to Magnus’ side and is constantly touching him. A hand on Magnus’ arm or hand, standing close enough so their hips or arms touch, and sometimes he just stands close and drops his head onto Magnus’ shoulders.

Magnus doesn’t mind, quite the opposite. One of his hands is always somewhere on Alec too, and while Magnus is far from drunk, he’s definitely not anywhere near sober anymore either.

There are several conversations going on at once, and people are drifting across the loft, from one group to another, from one conversation to the next. At one point Luke pulls Maryse closer, then takes her shoulders and pushes her a little to the right. He grins broadly at her and steps back, looking at her with an expectant, open smile.

Maryse looks puzzled and casts a few helpless looks at the people around her. And when Luke points at the ceiling above his head, she glances up but clearly remains none the wiser. Only then does it dawn on Luke that Maryse has no idea what he is doing.

“It’s mistletoe,” he says and points again at the little twig hanging from the ceiling, with a red ribbon tied into a bow around the stem. “If you’re standing under the mistletoe, anyone can kiss you.” He winks at her.

“So that’s what this is about!” Jace gets up and dramatically wipes the back of his hand across his mouth as he marches across the room towards Luke with purposeful steps.

Luke stares at him in mock horror, until Maryse steps in to save him. The moment she pulls Luke into a kiss Jace spins around on his heel, giggling all the way back to the couch and Clary’s side, his eyes scanning the room for more twigs of mistletoe and undoubtedly memorising each and every one of them.

Alec has watched the proceedings with a smile, but it suddenly vanishes when he – somewhat belatedly – makes sense of an earlier event.

“Oh!” He says, and looks at Magnus who lifts both eyebrows. “Oh,” Alec says again, and it sounds less surprised, almost a little sad. He turns around and looks at the doorway to the kitchen, and at the mistletoe that hangs above the door. “Oh...” he says for a third time, and this time it sounds outright mournful.

Magnus follows his gaze, and his eyes are tender with affection when he catches on to Alec’s train of thoughts. “I had no idea Shadowhunters don’t know what mistletoe is,” he says softly.  
“Yeah... we... don’t. Exactly.” Alec moistens his lips with a flick of his tongue. “Know a lot of mundane stuff,” he adds as an afterthought.

Then Alec looks back and forth between the mistletoe above the kitchen door and Magnus. “So,” he begins after a moment’s thought. “So I have to kiss you when you stand under that... thingie?”  
Magnus has a hard time biting back a grin. “No, but if you want to kiss me when I am standing under a mistletoe, I have to let you.”  
“Oh.” Alec’s smile widens.  
“But I’d be an idiot not to let you kiss me.”  
Alec’s smile widens even more.  
“Or not wanting to kiss you if you would happen to stand under a mistletoe, for that matter.”

Alec’s smile turns into a frown, and you can hear the cogwheels turn for a moment. Then his face lights up again and the goofy, tipsy grin is back. “So basically you just...” He cocks his head. “...kiss...” And then his smile widens. “...under the mistletoe.”  
“Basically, yes.” Magnus steps closer and rests a hand against Alec’s chest. “But you don’t have to wait for me to step under a mistletoe to kiss me.”  
“No,” Alec says, the smile firmly in place. “I don’t.”

Magnus looks up at him expectantly.

Alec smiles at him, and tilts his head.

“Oh.” He leans towards Magnus for a kiss and somehow manages to completely miss his mouth; because of the hasty move - and maybe the mulled wine - his aim is a little off and he smooches Magnus’ chin instead. Magnus still has his eyes closed, and keeps them closed until Alec leans back again. A very keen-eyed observer might have been able to identify the slight strain in Magnus’ jaw and shoulders as a valiant attempt not to laugh.

For the rest of the night, Alec has an Agenda. He follows Magnus around as before, but keeps eyeballing the ceiling the whole time. And every time Magnus is anywhere near a mistletoe Alec grabs one of Magnus’ arms, pulls him back and forth until he is positioned, and proceeds to kiss the everliving daylights out of him.

Several phone cameras across the room will by now be able to supply blackmail material for the next twenty years.

It’s in the small hours of the night when the last of them withdraw to their sleeping quarters. Raphael has passed out in the armchair next to the fireplace after having made silent love to the bottle of plasma for most of the night. Magnus covers him with a blanket – the pink, fuzzy one he previously used for Madzie because that’s the sort of thing that gets the vampire flustered and Magnus can be a real ass sometimes. After switching off the lights and making sure all the curtains are closed for the sake of the snoring vampire in the armchair, Magnus is the last one to leave the festively decorated living room behind. 

He softly closes the door to the bedroom and looks around for Alec.

And then he stares like a deer in the headlights when he sees him.

Because there he is, his Alec, leaning nonchalantly against the wall, shirtless and with crossed arms, his glorious and perfectly sculpted body on display as if daring Magnus to devour him. His cheeks are still glowing slightly, and he is still wearing that goofy little smile on his face.

He also has a twig of mistletoe tucked into his belt.

It takes Magnus a moment until he manages to rally his higher brain functions. “I see you got the hang of the mistletoe business,” he says, his voice deep and husky.

Alec says nothing, but his eyes are fixed on Magnus, never leaving his face as the warlock steps closer. The silly little smile wavers when Magnus reaches him, and it vanishes completely when Magnus slowly sinks to his knees in front of him.

“And as a warlock,” Magnus mutters as he unbuckles Alec’s belt, “I know better than to meddle with ancient traditions.”

A few moments later, the mistletoe lands softly on the carpet, and Alec’s head falls against the wall with a thud.

* * *

Christmas morning starts rather slow.

Alec drags himself out of the bed like something a Shadowhunter might want to fight when it comes crawling out of a bog.

It’s a truly sorry sight; he had such a good time last night and now he looks as if he wants to die. He sits there on a couch, hunched over with his head buried in his hands, his hair sticking every which way and his sweater inside out. His face has the colour of cooked chicken breast and his eyes are red and so swollen they don’t even open properly anymore.

Someone sneezes, and Alec flinches with a slight whine. It’s a heartbreaking little sound.

Magnus, the mother hen that he is, already has a half-magical, half-herbal remedy tea prepared that he hands out to those who are suffering the after-effects from last night. He kneels down in front of Alec and offers him a cup, but for a moment Alec looks like he needs a bucket, and fast.

He really has to force the first sip down his throat, but it immediately calms his stomach somewhat, and the second sip has him relax a little more. From then on it’s uphill. He stops wincing every time someone breathes into his general direction, his eyes clear up a little, and eventually he even accepts the coffee that Magnus offers him.

After that coffee Alec begins to resemble a human being again, and is eventually starting to contemplate breakfast. Everyone seems to be doing similarly well at this point and Magnus finally conjures up the table again, this time laden with a breakfast buffet, and his guests get comfortable.

Of course Magnus has curtains that, when drawn, keep enough sunlight out for the vampires to feel safe while still leaving the room light enough they don’t need to switch on the lamps. The dim light creates a warm, special atmosphere only helped along by the lit Christmas tree.

Despite everything else, Santa is not one of the Christmas traditions Magnus has adopted, so while there are presents, they’re from people, not from Santa. Most are for Madzie who doesn’t care anyway who put them under the tree.

“Feliz Navidad, angelita,” Raphael says as he gives Madzie his gift, and even the stoic vampire can’t hide how touched he is watching Madzie’s huge eyes and smile when she opens it. It’s a music box with a dancing ballerina, spinning slowly to the tune of _Over the Rainbow_.

Then Madzie gives him a hug, and Raphael visibly melts.

The adults exchange only a few gifts. Jace has bought a large silk scarf for Clary, printed in a peacock feather pattern. Clary gushes over it, clearly loving it so much Jace almost blushes.

Magnus has a pair of knitted socks for everyone, one pair uglier than the next. Catarina keeps looking at hers (Jace called the colour penis pink under his breath) and hasn’t stopped laughing since.

Eventually Alec looks at Magnus, chewing his lower lip as if he isn’t sure whatever he is about to do is a good idea. He hands Magnus a gift-wrapped box, looking as shy as a teenager, and Magnus takes it with soft eyes and an even softer smile.

“Thank you, Alexander,” he says, sits down and begins to pick the paper apart. “Now I feel kind of bad I didn’t get you a better gift than those ridiculous socks.”  
“What? No!” Alec wiggles his toes. “They’re great!”

His socks are rainbow-coloured, the wool laced with a metallic thread that gives them a glittery sparkle. It is a little ridiculous, indeed, this image of Alexander Lightwood with his never-changing black wardrobe and glittery rainbow socks. But by the way he looks at them it’s clear that he’s going to wear them until they fall apart.

And maybe it’s also because those socks are a symbol of what Magnus means to him, of what Magnus has done for him. Alec is out and proud now, and it’s thanks to Magnus that he dared to take what he once believed he could never have.

“You know,” he begins hesitantly, watching Magnus unwrap a small, dark blue cardboard box, “it’s kind of a rainbow… thing, too. But...”

Magnus looks up at him with raised eyebrows, and opens the box. Inside is a necklace, a simple silver chain, and six small pendants hang down from it, six different gemstones cut into a teardrop shape. There’s a stone in each colour of the rainbow.

At first, Magnus smiles at the necklace, resting the stones in the palm of his hand. Then a sudden frown appears on his face, and wide-eyed, he touches the yellow stone. His Adam’s apple bobs as he touches the violet one. And when he looks up at Alec, his eyes are brimming with tears.

Alec watches him with a worried expression, and he keeps tugging at his fingers. “Did I… do something... wrong?”

The hesitance in his voice tears Magnus out of his stupor and he gets up, and he throws his arms around Alec with a sound that’s somewhere between a sigh and a sob.

Around them, everyone exchanges puzzled and worried glances with everyone else.

“You…” Magnus leans back and wipes the back of his hands across one eye. “You really put a lot of thought into this, didn’t you?”  
Alec squirms a little, and after a moment, he nods. “Yeah, I spent some time thinking about this because... you know… you told me about the meaning of a few stones the other day, remember? And then I didn't want to give you a stone that says ‘you got smelly breath’ or something…”

Magnus sighs again, one hand coming up to cup Alec’s cheek. “It’s wonderful,” he whispers. “It’s perfect. Just like you.”

They ignore the collective ‘aaaaaaww’ surrounding them as they kiss.

When they part they share a moment of private silence, their faces graced with lovesick little smiles.

“Okay,” Izzy finally says into the silence. “I’m dying of curiosity. Care to share? What is so special about those jewels?”

“They’re not jewels, Isabelle.” Magnus caresses the stones in his palm and then lets the chain hang from his fingers so the others can see them. “None of them are expensive, luxurious gems. Alec has chosen them for their meaning, not their value, which makes them all the more precious.”

He smiles at Alec again who has a faint blush on his cheeks.

“Garnet,” Magnus says and points at the red stone. “It symbolises love and eternity.” He looks at Alec, his eyes warm and full of affection. 

Izzy bites her lip, and everyone falls very silent as Magnus continues.

“The orange stone is amber, for spiritual protection. Yellow…” He pauses, takes a breath, “... the yellow stone is a citrine, it aids in self-healing and overcoming a suppressed self-esteem.”  
“I didn’t know you needed that,” Clary says, slightly baffled.  
“We all have our skeletons that we’re trying to hide but never able to escape, biscuit.” Magnus touches the green stone, his eyes softening even more. “The malachite helps battle negative emotions and past traumas. Blue kyanite offers encouragement to embrace love, and take risks for love. And finally, the iolite…” He takes a deep breath, and his eyes are on Alec again. “It aids in loving and accepting yourself.”

In the silence that follows Alec and Magnus are looking at each other, and they might as well be the only two people in the world right now.

“Will you do me the honour?” Magnus asks after what feels like a small eternity.

Alec nods, his smile slightly nervous. He takes the necklace from Magnus’ hands and steps around him, places it around his neck and fastens it at his nape. The stones rest against Magnus’ collarbones, a cheerful little rainbow, looking pretty but meaning so much more.

Alec is the only one who stays that evening, and after everyone has left, he and Magnus get comfortable on a couch, with drinks and a blanket and soft jazz. Outside, the snowflakes are swirling past in gushes of wind, making the golden light in the loft seem even warmer.

They still haven’t spoken much, but there is no need to. They keep watching the dancing flames in the fireplace, content in comfortable silence and each other’s company.


End file.
